To address the public discontent following the fall of the 35-foot Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a sincere apology on Friday. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, which was inaugurated by PM Modi merely eight months prior, collapsed last week due to severe winds, coinciding with the upcoming state assembly elections.
During an event in Palghar, PM Modi remarked, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologize to my deity.” The Prime Minister’s expression of regret arises in response to increasing criticism from opposition parties, which have been calling for an apology regarding the incident.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th-century founder of the Maratha Empire, is an esteemed figure in Maharashtra. His legacy is a matter of great sensitivity within the state, and the recent collapse of his statue has ignited considerable controversy. PM Modi recognized the profound pain experienced by the people of Maharashtra due to the incident, stating, “The people revere Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a deity, they have been deeply hurt…I bow and offer my sincere apologies… Nothing holds a higher place than our own deities.”
The statue was both designed and constructed by the Indian Navy, which has established a panel to investigate the incident. Additionally, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has declared the formation of two committees to examine the situation.
Government’s Commitment to Reconstructing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue
In the meantime, the police have filed charges against the statue’s artist, Jaydeep Apte, and the structural consultant, Chetan Patil, under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The allegations include cheating, attempted murder, culpable homicide, and endangering life or personal safety, among others.
Notably, just six days before the incident, the Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) had expressed concerns regarding rust accumulation on the now-collapsed statue in a letter addressed to a Naval official.
The fall of the Shivaji statue has emerged as a significant political controversy in Maharashtra, with opposition factions such as the Congress leveraging the situation to challenge the ruling Mahayuti coalition, which includes the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, the NCP under Ajit Pawar, and the BJP.
In anticipation of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Maharashtra, the Congress party has displayed posters in multiple locations calling for his apology. Additionally, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has visited the site of the statue’s collapse.
In response to the situation and light of the upcoming assembly elections, the government is engaging in damage control, with Chief Minister Shinde declaring that he would not hesitate to express his reverence for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by bowing down and apologizing for the incident if necessary. Prime Minister Modi also criticized the opposition, stating, “Some people keep abusing Veer Savarkar but are not ready to apologize for insulting him.”
Despite the ongoing controversy, the government remains committed to reconstructing the statue. PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadhvan Port project, which is projected to attract an investment of several lakh crore rupees and generate approximately 1.2 million job opportunities in the state. The Prime Minister emphasized that the electorate in Maharashtra should not overlook “those people” who aim to hinder the state’s progress and encouraged them to endorse the government’s development initiatives.
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